


Family First

by xikra1648



Series: Every Office Has Their Jim and Pam [2]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Breakup, Elle and Gideon are briefly mentioned, Eventual Romance, F/M, Hospital, Injury, Mentioned violence, Season 3 Episode 9
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-16
Updated: 2018-11-15
Packaged: 2019-08-24 06:52:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16635023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xikra1648/pseuds/xikra1648
Summary: You were really careful with who you let into your family.  That being said, if whoever you were going to marry didn't get along with them, he had to go.  Immediately.





	1. If He Can't Love Them...

# Every Office Has Their Jim and Pam

## Family First

### If He Can't Love Them...

You had put off celebrating your PhD until after you finished the classes necessary to officially become a profiler of the BAU.  You couldn’t tell which you liked better.  _SSA [L/N]_ or _Dr. [L/N]._   Sure, being one of _very_ few agents to reach the rank of Supervisory Special Agent in their early-to-mid-twenties was impressive, but so was finishing a Behavioral Psychology PhD by the same age.  You considered SSA Dr. [L/N]…but that just seemed like overkill. 

The party was in full swing, and you were having a great time.  Penelope _insisted_ on planning it, you knew that much, but you had no idea there was a unit-wide _collection_ to fund the damn thing until you showed up to the rented-out pub.  It was a family-owned place you worked at when you were still in college, and on the weekends during your initial FBI training.  You still visited recently, it was more like a family-owned restaurant that happened to serve alcohol, but St. Patrick’s Day could get a little rowdy.

You had thought you were just meeting the team for dinner and drinks, and saw the entire unit waiting to surprise you instead.

“Oh my god,” you laughed, grinning wide as you practically ran to Penelope and pulled her into a tight hug, “You didn’t have to do all this.”

“Of course, we did!” she grinned, pulling back, “It wasn’t just me, we all pitched in.  Boy Genius remembered this place was a second home for you, everyone pitched in some cash, add some booze and food, let JJ and I loose with decoration shopping, and we got ourselves a party.”

“This is amazing,” you couldn’t stop grinning as you hugged JJ, Hotch, Morgan, Prentiss, Rossi, and finally Spencer, “Every time I think that memory of yours can’t surprise me, you go and prove me wrong.”

“I’m just glad you like it,” he grinned proudly, god your smile was beautiful.  You were so happy throughout the party, Ryan sulking nearby before pulling you aside.

“What’s wrong?” you asked, your fiancé wasn’t one to leave the center of a party.

“I’m bored, let’s get out of here,” he suggested, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you close, “C’mon, babe.  They can have fun without you.”

“No,” you furrowed your brow and placed your hands on his chest, pushing away, “This whole party is to celebrate something good happening for _me_ , I’m not leaving.”

“Well, I’m leaving, so – “

“Alright, I’ll see you at home.”  You couldn’t believe this.  Three years of going to his parties, his outings, and he couldn’t even be happy you landed your dream job.  You spent years pretending to like his meathead cliché alpha-male buddies and he couldn’t at least pretend to get along with your friends?  Hell, just sit at the bar and drink the _free booze_ and eat the _free food_.  _Unbelievable_.  That’s not counting the fits he’d throw if you wouldn’t leave a case early so you could play arm candy to make him look good.  You couldn’t just leave a case, and if he was allowed to up and leave for work then why couldn’t you?  Ever since your promotion –

_Your promotion that put you at a much higher rank than him._

You’d deal with that later, you decided as you made your way back to the bar and grabbed a drink.

“Everything alright?” Prentiss asked as she got her own drink.  She’d seen Ryan leaving, and things weren’t looking good.

“Yeah…I’ve got some thinking to do…but yeah.”  You tossed your shot of whiskey back before grabbing a cold beer, “Do me a favor, don’t tell the others yet?”

Prentiss nodded, still concerned but willing to keep this promise, “Of course, whatever you need.”

 

You’d been thinking all weekend.  So far, things were going smoothly, even into the work week, until after your return from a case in Florida.  It was a particularly nasty case, involving a satanic _cannibal_ , and you actually had to _argue_ so you could just shower and go to bed.  Seriously, _no means no_.  Then, he had the gall to start bitching at you because your phone rang when _he_ was still wide awake, and _your_ phone woke _you_ up.

_“Miss [L/N]?”_   You didn’t recognize the voice of the woman on the other end of the line.

“Yes…” you were willing to let her not calling you _Dr. [L/N]_ or _Agent [L/N]_ if that meant figuring out why a stranger was calling your cell.  You were very, very, _very_ careful about who had your cell phone number.  Security was just…it was something you were always good at.  Hell, you could recognize a safe’s weaknesses by _sight_.

_“I’m calling from Walter Reed Hospital.  A Miss Penelope Garcia has you listed as her emergency contact.  She was shot and is currently in surgery – “_

“I’m on my way.”  You immediately hung up before dialing Hotch’s cell as you rushed to get out of bed and grab some clothes from your dresser, “Hotch, Penny’s at Walter Reed Hospital.  She’s been shot.”

_“I’ll get JJ and head right over.  We’ll call Morgan and Rossi, you get in touch with Reid.”_

“Got it.  I’ll see you there.”  You hung up and yanked your t-shirt over your head before pressing the speed-dial to Spencer’s cell, cradling your cell between your ear and shoulder as you grabbed the bra you’d picked out and put it on.

_“Helloo.”_   Any other time, you’d be amused with how casually Spence answered the phone.

“Penny’s at Walter Reed Hospital, she’s been shot and she’s in surgery.  Hotch and JJ are calling everyone else.”

_“On my way.”_   You hung up, practically yanking your sleep shorts off before pulling your skinny jeans on, grabbing the white t-shirt you’d grabbed and yanking it on as well, pulling your long brown hair out from underneath.

“That’s it?  You’re leaving?” Ryan questioned as he watched you getting ready to rush out the door, “I thought you were _too tired.”_

“My best friend was just shot – “

“Everyone else is gonna be there.”

“That’s it.”  You snatched your engagement ring from off the bedside table and tossed it out the nearby open window, “I’ll be back to get my shit.  If _anything_ is missing, you’ll be lucky if I just shoot you.”

You snatched a pair of black flats and slipped them on before grabbing your phone, purse, and a cardigan to stave off the cold before taking off for the hospital as you tied your hair into a messy bun.  Besides Morgan, everyone else had already arrived.  There had been no word yet, all you could do was sit and wait, so you sat down next to Spencer and practically curled up into his side as you nervously waited.  His arm around your shoulders helped, holding you close and gently rubbing his hand up and down your arm from time-to-time when you were starting to tense up again.

This was where you belonged, you knew that.  Not waiting for your best friend to come out of surgery, but with the team.  They weren’t just friends, they were family, and they would continue to be your family long after you left.  If a guy couldn’t see that, he needed to leave – immediately.  You’d worry about that later, you’d kick yourself for wasting years of your life with Ryan _later_.

Frankly, you were too nauseous with worry for Penelope to think about anything else.  What if she didn’t make it?  She was strong, but anything could happen.  She was your best friend, your sister, you talked to her about everything.  After the inevitable warpath the team would be on, whether she survived or not, the grieving if something _did_ happen would be…

When Morgan arrived, his only thought was finding _who did this_.  It was the only thought that could keep his panic under control.

“Penelope Garcia?” a surgeon questioned as he approached the waiting area, expecting you and one other person.  Instead, he was faced with the entire team as you crowded around him.

“The bullet went into her chest and ricochet into her abdomen, she lost a lot of blood,” the doctor started to explain.  You reached out and grabbed the first hand you could reach, JJ returning your tight grip with one of her own, as the two of you braced yourselves while the doctor continued, “She lost a lot of blood.  It was touch-and-go for a while, but we were able to repair the injuries.”

“So, what are you saying?”  JJ had to make sure, she had to _make sure_ Penelope would be _absolutely fine._

“One centimeter over and it could have torn right through her heart.  Instead, she could walk out of here in a few days.  I’d say that’s a minor miracle.”  Every let go of the breath they were holding.  Penelope was going to be okay.  She was going to be okay.

Now you just had to find who did this.

“Dave and I will go to the scene,” Hotch started to plan the investigation the _second_ the doctor left, “I think the rest of you should be here when she wakes up.  I don’t care about protocol.  I don’t care if we’re working this officially or not.  We don’t touch _any_ new cases until we find out who did this.”

That was probably your favorite thing about Hotch.  He could be a drill sergeant, stern, it took a while to catch onto his sense of humor, and it was rare for him to actually go out with the rest of the team, but he cared.  He saw it as his job, as the leader, to protect the team.  When someone got hurt, he took it personally.

You split up, most of you waiting for a nurse to get you when Penelope woke up.  It didn’t take too long, much to your relief, and both you and JJ made beelines to Penelope’s bed to leave a kiss on either her cheek or forehead.  Through her exhaustion, she managed to notice the glossy look in your eyes as you held back your tears.  She didn’t read people out of a need to define them, profile them, but out of a desire to spread love and goodness.  That was why, through her exhaustion, she made one request, “No tears.”

“How are you feeling?” Morgan asked softly, you were all still worried, even though you knew she was going to be alright.

“Oh…” Penelope groaned, “Confused…stupid and…in pain.”

“What happened, sweetheart?” you asked gently, gently brushing a few loose strands of hair out of Penelope’s eyes as she turned her head from looking up at Morgan to look at you.

“I never saw it coming…he seemed…” she paused, partially out of exhaustion and partially because she was finding the right words, so you all patiently waited for her, “Deliciously normal…”

“You know him?” Spencer asked, it was implied from what Penelope said, but it was best to make sure.

“You were right, I should have trusted it,” she turned back to look up at Morgan.  Her exhaustion, blood loss, and medication were making it hard for her to follow one train of thought to its end, to focus on much of anything but whatever was running through her mind.

“What are you talking about?” Morgan had been so worried, he completely forgot about the guy Penelope told him about.  That _smoking hottie_ she met at the coffee shop she frequented, who seemed just a little too smooth.  She’d been nervous about it, talking to Morgan to help sort through her thoughts, but he’d said the wrong thing and got her mad at him.

“This about that guy you met?” you asked, Penelope had told you about the guy at the coffee shop as well.  Though, you strictly listened.  If she wanted advice she’d ask.

“Yeah…I wanted to believe he was interested in me,” she completely ignored Morgan’s gentle urging to _forget all that_ and kept going, “I let my guard down.”

Emily hated having to ask these questions of _Penelope_ , but it had to be done, “Do you have any idea why he would have done this?”

“Did he threaten you?  Did he want something?”  Spencer was, frankly, running on the assumption the unsub was at fault here.  Penelope couldn’t have _possibly_ done something to provoke this kind of violence, _any_ kind of violence.  That just…that wasn’t her.

“I just thought he liked me,” she had to stop as her breathing increased, a mixture of pain and the urge to cry making things too uncomfortable.

“Okay, we’re going to step out for a bit,” JJ cut in, gently, telling Penelope where everyone would be while giving her a break from questioning.

“We need a name.”  It was one last request Emily had to make.  The sooner you had the name, the sooner you could get to work.

“James Colby Baylor.”  She was starting to calm down, Spencer and Morgan stepped outside to talk as Emily stepped outside to look up the guy Penelope had gone out with.  You and JJ stayed with the technical analyst, at her request.

“JJ…can you make sure nobody talks about me…like I’m a victim?”  It was a horrible request, and an awkward one, but she had to make it.  Penelope had talked about people that way herself, it was part of the job, and she hated the idea that her own friends would have to talk about her like that.

“Of course, anything you need,” JJ promised in earnest, stepping out to talk to the others as she also promised, “I’ll be right back.”

Penelope’s grip on your hand was like a vice, so you reached over to grab a nearby chair and sit down.  She probably wasn’t going to be letting go for a while, and you didn’t want to leave for a while either.  She wasn’t just the first friend you made when you started working at the FBI, she was the first person you really considered family in…a _long_ time.  Before her it was just a girl who was in the same foster home as you.  You’d been forced to cut down your contact with her over the years, for many complicated reasons, giving Ryan the in he needed, and then Penelope came into your life, then Spencer, JJ, Morgan, Hotch, Gideon and Elle for a while, followed by Emily and eventually snarky old Rossi.  They were family.

They were _your family_ , and anyone who couldn’t accept that wasn’t worth your time.


	2. Just Fine

# Every Office Has Their Jim and Pam

## Family First

### Just Fine

Four days.  _Four days_ , and there were _no_ leads.

You were still determined to keep your own relationship issues on the down-low until Penelope’s shooter was found.  You _highly_ doubted anyone would get distracted from finding him, but you just felt more comfortable _making sure_ that was where everyone’s focus was.  JJ knew, you were staying with her for a few days while you found a new place, and you wouldn’t be surprised if Hotch suspected something when you put in that change of address…wouldn’t be surprised if everyone noticed you suddenly had all the time in the world and no engagement ring…

Alright.  So, you hadn’t _said_ anything, but it was safe to assume everyone else had figured it out.

You spent most of your time with Penelope at the hospital.  The local detectives were still treating it like a random mugging, but for now you were keeping your investigation into her date within the team until there was more than a fake name and a sketch.  In the mean-time, you all agreed it was safest if at least one of you stayed at the hospital to make sure the shooter didn’t try again.  It would be so much easier to build a profile if there were other crimes it could be connected to, or just _anything_ that would point to a motive, but everyone was stumped.  Even the restaurant, all attempts at tracking down rental car companies, or finding prints at the scene were a bust, the cell phone he used to call Penelope in the first place was a burner, and there were no shell-casings at the scene because he used a revolver.  Then there was the fact that whoever it was looked like a few _million_ guys in the area.

Penelope _hated_ hospital gowns, and the hospital was always cold, so you briefly left her side to use your spare key and get some sweaters and sweatshirts for her.  It was a little premature, but she’d also asked you to pack a bag for when she was finally able to leave.  You did make sure to grab a few things for her to read, though you made sure to leave her laptop at home, so she’d get some sleep.

At the moment, Morgan was with Penelope in her room.  You were getting some more coffee, you couldn’t tell if hospital coffee or law enforcement coffee was worse, when you met up with Spencer.  You kept the small paper cup clutched in both hands to stave off the general chill in the hospital, you’d left your old black leather jacket on your chair back in Penny’s room, and while your slim-fit black dress pants were surprisingly capable of staving off the chill,  your sky-blue blouse and black buckled heels could only do so much.

“Morning,” you greeted before taking a sip of your coffee, the deep pink lipstick you normally wore leaving a light stain while never fading from your lips.

“Morning,” Spencer replied, holding up the second cup of coffee he’d gotten when he stopped at the café down the street from his apartment, “I got you a latte.”

“Oh my god,” you tossed your cup of crap coffee into a nearby trash can with one hand as you reached for your latte with the other, taking a sip and sighing blissfully before looking meeting Spencer’s lighter hazel eyes with your darker chocolate brown eyes and said, very seriously, “You, good sir, are a saint.”

“I’m really not – “  Was he blushing?  He felt like he was blushing.  He could _feel_ the heat rising up the back of his neck.

“You really are,” you insisted as the two of you started making your way through the halls of the hospital and to Penelope’s room.  You started to wake up more and more, your heels clicking against the tile floor and a strand of your chocolate brown hair slipping in front of your eye before you combed your hand through your hair to brush it back.

“How’ve you been doing?” Spencer asked as you started to get closer to Penelope’s new room, she’d been moved from the ICU that morning, before he clarified, “The last few days have been pretty crazy for you.”

“Yeah, I kind of assumed you guys figured it out,” you sighed in admittance, you weren’t trying to _hide_ it, “Honestly, I should have done it a _long_ time ago, “I always knew he reminded me of someone, and it’s a good thing Penny needed me cause when I figured out it was my _foster father_ I would have thrown _myself_ out that 10th story window _with_ the ring.”

That was…new.  Your issues with making connections with people, the distance you kept and refusal to talk about your past, even the way you would become silent when people talked about their parents or childhood were all telling of a childhood spent in the foster system.  You just…you’d never _talked_ about it before.  On one hand, Spencer was… _honored_ you trusted him enough with that information.  On the other hand, your implication…

“We’re here, if you need.”  It was a reminder, a gentle one, and likely one you didn’t need.  Telling you that was mostly for Spencer’s benefit.

“I know, but if I say it out loud, then Penelope is gonna stop focusing on herself and I can’t let her do that, not when the ass that shot her might still be gunning for her.”  You stood firm on that front.  You weren’t changing your mind.  It took a while for you to let people into your world, your family, but once there you would do anything for them.  Even push your own problems aside.  Spencer wasn’t about to dissuade you, there was no changing your stubborn mind when it came to things like this, so all he did was drape an arm around your shoulders and pull you in close, taking pride in the way you smiled when he kissed the top of your head.

“Awww,” Penelope cooed when she saw the two of you walking into her new room, grinning as – she too – had noticed the lack of ring on your finger, “Look at my little nerds.”

You immediately stepped forward, snapping at your friend as Morgan couldn’t help but shoot Penelope a look that just said, _‘I told you so.’_

“You shut your mouth and get your ass back in bed before I put you there myself.”

Things might get complicated from time to time, such was life within the BAU, but it was nothing the team couldn't work through.  Even this, as terrifying and nerve-wracking as it was, wouldn't stop the team.

Everything would be just fine.


End file.
